The Perfect Response: Studies of the Rhetorical Personality
The Perfect Response is a lucid account of the social origins of fluency from a scholar recognized as 'a leading analyst of the dramaturgical dimensions of politics.' In this imaginative study Gary C. Woodward creates and elucidates the idea of 'The Rhetorical Personality, using a deft blend of communication theory, social history and rhetorical criticism. With unusual capacities for expressiveness, persuasiveness, and sensitivity, Rhetorical Personalities thrive in settings that call for communication that will transcend differences and engage others. They typically have a heightened sense of their own persuasive power, a skill for 'reading' audiences, and the capacity to function effectively in unfamiliar settings. Each chapter of The Perfect Response probes the nature of these uniquely social persons from a different perspective: through the sympathetic characters of a prolific Hollywood filmmaker; by examining the nature of the social isolation in individuals with autism-spectrum disorders; through cross-cultural comparisons; and by assessing seminal and recent social science research on key benchmarks of rhetorical skill, such as 'high self monitoring,' 'other-direction,' and 'the capacity for engagement with others.' Focusing on public figures that range from comedian Steve Martin to political leaders as diverse as Bill Clinton and Tony Blair, Woodward builds a detailed 'conceptual map' for profiling the kinds of individuals who naturally maximize the possibilities of communication in public settings.
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The Perfect Response: Studies of the Rhetorical Personality
The Perfect Response is a lucid account of the social origins of fluency from a scholar recognized as 'a leading analyst of the dramaturgical dimensions of politics.' In this imaginative study Gary C. Woodward creates and elucidates the idea of 'The Rhetorical Personality, using a deft blend of communication theory, social history and rhetorical criticism. With unusual capacities for expressiveness, persuasiveness, and sensitivity, Rhetorical Personalities thrive in settings that call for communication that will transcend differences and engage others. They typically have a heightened sense of their own persuasive power, a skill for 'reading' audiences, and the capacity to function effectively in unfamiliar settings. Each chapter of The Perfect Response probes the nature of these uniquely social persons from a different perspective: through the sympathetic characters of a prolific Hollywood filmmaker; by examining the nature of the social isolation in individuals with autism-spectrum disorders; through cross-cultural comparisons; and by assessing seminal and recent social science research on key benchmarks of rhetorical skill, such as 'high self monitoring,' 'other-direction,' and 'the capacity for engagement with others.' Focusing on public figures that range from comedian Steve Martin to political leaders as diverse as Bill Clinton and Tony Blair, Woodward builds a detailed 'conceptual map' for profiling the kinds of individuals who naturally maximize the possibilities of communication in public settings.
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The Perfect Response: Studies of the Rhetorical Personality

The Perfect Response: Studies of the Rhetorical Personality

by Gary C. Woodward The College of New Jersey
The Perfect Response: Studies of the Rhetorical Personality

The Perfect Response: Studies of the Rhetorical Personality

by Gary C. Woodward The College of New Jersey

Paperback(New Edition)

$57.99 
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Overview

The Perfect Response is a lucid account of the social origins of fluency from a scholar recognized as 'a leading analyst of the dramaturgical dimensions of politics.' In this imaginative study Gary C. Woodward creates and elucidates the idea of 'The Rhetorical Personality, using a deft blend of communication theory, social history and rhetorical criticism. With unusual capacities for expressiveness, persuasiveness, and sensitivity, Rhetorical Personalities thrive in settings that call for communication that will transcend differences and engage others. They typically have a heightened sense of their own persuasive power, a skill for 'reading' audiences, and the capacity to function effectively in unfamiliar settings. Each chapter of The Perfect Response probes the nature of these uniquely social persons from a different perspective: through the sympathetic characters of a prolific Hollywood filmmaker; by examining the nature of the social isolation in individuals with autism-spectrum disorders; through cross-cultural comparisons; and by assessing seminal and recent social science research on key benchmarks of rhetorical skill, such as 'high self monitoring,' 'other-direction,' and 'the capacity for engagement with others.' Focusing on public figures that range from comedian Steve Martin to political leaders as diverse as Bill Clinton and Tony Blair, Woodward builds a detailed 'conceptual map' for profiling the kinds of individuals who naturally maximize the possibilities of communication in public settings.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780739140017
Publisher: Lexington Books
Publication date: 09/20/2010
Series: Lexington Studies in Political Communication
Edition description: New Edition
Pages: 212
Product dimensions: 5.80(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Gary C. Woodward is professor of communication studies at The College of New Jersey and author of Center Stage: Media and the Performance of American Politics. Check out the new book website found at http://www.theperfectresponse.com

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Chapter 1 Introduction: A Conceptual Map of the Rhetorical Personality 1

Chapter 2 Empathy: Finding Ourselves in Others 23

Chapter 3 Saving the World One Person at a Time: The Inclination to Engage 43

Chapter 4 Confirming Our Acceptability: The Impulse for Self-Monitoring 69

Chapter 5 Autism, the Williams Syndrome, and the Rhetoric of Sociality 91

Chapter 6 Finding a Way Through: The Films of James L. Brooks 113

Chapter 7 Lessons from the Political Stage: The Role of the Other in the Rhetorical and Hortatory Styles 135

Selected Bibliography 185

Index 193

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